1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paint stripper composition effective in removal of a wide variety of paint systems coated or otherwise adhered to such substrates as metal, wood, glass, fabric or plastic. The composition of the present invention has been found effective in the removal of such finishes as acrylic nitrocellulose lacquers, amide cured epoxy systems, polyurethane systems, polysulfide systems, varnish systems, lacquer systems, enamal systems, and the like, and has further been found to be effective in the removal of carbon deposits found on metal parts and has unique chelating and sequestering properties effective to remove surface rust from metal and chrome plated surfaces.
2. Disclose Statement
Finish remover compositions comprising methylene chloride as the active solvent have tradionally been formulated either an acid or basic pH level depending upon the type of surface upon which the finish has been applied. Since the stripper compositions have been formulated to be effective for only a specific substrate on which the finish is applied, prior art removers have a somewhat limited value and cannot be effectively used to remove finishes from substrates for which the remover composition was not formulated. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,219, issued Sept. 7, 1976 to Chang et al, discloses an acidic wood finish remover consisting essentially of a mixture of hydroxyacetic acid in methylene chloride solution. The finish remover composition of this patent is formulated to be effective as a wood finish remover and according to the patent maintains whiteness of the wood surface, and does not stain or darken the surface, such as frequently occurs when alkaline or neutral finish removers are applied to old wood surfaces. Many paint stripper compositions are formulated to remove a particular type of finish such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,557, issued June 23, 1964, in which an acid base paint stripper is formulated to remove epoxy resin systems. In this patent, methylene chloride is combined with hypophosphorous acid and water. Basic finish remover systems are also known consisting of sodium hydroxide or trisodiumphosphate in water. Another composition employing methylene chloride as an active solvent includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,256, issued Oct. 26, 1976, as a rinsing composition for removing a photoresist stripper and comprising methylene chloride and a lower alkyl alcohol. A finish remover including an ethanol amine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,829,583, issued Oct. 27, 1931, the amine used in conjunction with ethyl benzene as the active solvent.
The paint stripper composition of the present invention is an improvement over prior art removers in that the remover is not formulated to remove a particular type of finish or to be used on a specific substrate, but is unique in that it can remove a wide variety of finishes and is effective on a wide variety of substrate materials.